


Lead Me Back Home

by EmpressOfEdge



Series: Bumbleby Week 2019 [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Bumbleby Week 2019, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Meeting the Parents, Mild Angst, taiyang is out to embarrass his daughter pretty much, yeah zwei gets character credit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 16:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19833613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressOfEdge/pseuds/EmpressOfEdge
Summary: “Did Yang ever tell you about our trip to the shore just before she left for Beacon?” He asks, as they’re sitting in the living room after dinner.“Dad. No.”Day 2: Meet the Parents





	Lead Me Back Home

**Author's Note:**

> I ran out of time, but I'll probably turn this into a 2-shot eventually, with Yang also meeting Blake's parents! Anyway enjoy!

Blake is _nervous._

She’s killed Nevermores, conquered demons that haunted her past, survived her time in Atlas, landed the woman of her dreams, and helped save the world; but all of that pales in comparison to the sheer anxiety she feels right now, standing at the front door of the Xiao Long household, a tray of cookies in one hand while her other squeezes Yang’s with enough effort she has the irrational thought that maybe she’s managing to hurt her.

She feels Yang gently squeeze her hand back as she leans over to whisper in her ear. “You’re going to do great, baby. It’s just my dad. Trust me, he’s not _that_ hard to impress.” Yang says the last part with a lighthearted chuckle as her free hand knocks against the door.

“Yeah, but—” Blake hears a dog bark on the other side of the door and her ears twitch involuntarily.

“Shit, I forgot about— you going to be okay with Zwei?” Yang asks, raising an eyebrow in Blake’s direction. Blake hits her with a look and Yang holds her hands up in defense, dragging Blake’s along for the ride. “I’m just saying, you did _leap_ onto Ruby’s bed back at Beacon…”

“I was taken off guard,” Blake mumbles. She can handle the stupid ball of fur for a weekend. He isn’t actually _that_ bad…

“Are you sure? I can get my dad to—” Yang doesn’t have a chance to finish her thought as the door swings open and Blake’s legs are barreled into by a jumping corgi.

“Ah! Zwei, no! Leave Blake alone! Hey, guys!” Ruby’s smile is warm and familiar as she lifts the dog into her arms and Blake feels an ounce of tension ease from her shoulders.

“Hey, Rubes! Dad home? Or…?” Yang asks, letting go of Blake’s hand to grab their bags and step into the house as Blake trails just behind, shutting the door behind them.

“Yeah, he’s uh, ack—” Ruby pulls her face away as Zwei attacks her with kisses and Blake can’t help but chuckle. “He’s in the kitchen. Why don’t you guys just take your stuff upstairs,” Ruby says, making her way towards the kitchen door. “I’ll let him know you’re here and—Zwei stooooop! You lick your b—” Fortunately, the door to the kitchen swings shut before Blake can hear how that sentence ends, but she laughs again, nevertheless.

“It’s good to see she hasn’t changed,” Blake says. She lifts the tray of cookies a little higher and raises an eyebrow. “Anywhere I should put these?”

“Just on the table for now,” Yang says, gesturing to an end table next to the couch. “We can bring them in when we get back down.”

Blake nods and sets the tray down as Yang starts up the stairs. With the cookies off her hands, Blake follows her. There’s one futile attempt at trying to reclaim her own bag, so her girlfriend doesn’t get stuck carrying both, but Yang dodges the effort and chuckles lightly with a soft, “I got it, baby.”

Blake sighs, but lets it go. Her eyes dance across pictures that line the wall to the right instead. Mostly shots of Ruby and Yang, with them doing something increasingly dangerous or adorable for the camera.

Blake’s favorite by far is the one of Yang giving Ruby a piggyback ride while the smaller girl grabs onto her pigtails. It would be adorable, if not for the telltale shift of Yang’s eye color and the beginning of a pout pulling at the corner of her mouth.

Blake chuckles lightly and Yang glances back, quickly following her line of sight. She smirks.

“Oh, that?” She says, pausing in front of Blake on the stairs. “Yeah, I’ve asked dad to take it down, like, ten times. Clearly it’s gone well.”

Blake smiles, shaking her head. “Why would you want it taken down?”

Yang sighs. “That was the day I… helped… Ruby discover her Semblance.”

Blake looks back at the picture, then back to Yang. “You didn’t…”

Yang shrugs. “She pulled my hair… _really_ hard.”

Blake laughs as Yang rolls her eyes and continues up the stairs.

“Yeah, yeah, keep laughing, Belladonna. Like you didn’t do stupid things with your Semblance when you were a kid,” Yang says, raising an eyebrow back at Blake once she reaches the landing.

Blake chuckles. “A rebellious child with the ability to make shadow clones of herself? What trouble could I possibly have gotten myself into?”

Yang simply looks at her for a moment, squinting. “That… sounds like a story. One you’ll definitely have to tell me about, sometime.”

It’s Blake’s turn to roll her eyes as she takes Yang’s arm. “I think your imagination will probably make it better than the truth, so we’ll see.” She pauses for a second before adding, “Besides I am not letting you tell your dad that story… I want him to like me, and you can’t keep that kind of stuff to yourself.”

Yang starts to lead them down the short hallway as she shakes her head. “Blake, seriously, dad’s going to love you. You have nothing to worry about.”

Blake sighs, and Yang stops as they reach what must be her bedroom door. She puts the bags down in front of it before turning to look Blake in the eyes. Blake doesn’t know what expression she’s making, but it must not be the best, because it makes Yang frown before she wraps her arms loosely around Blake’s waist. Blake is quick to return the hug with a sigh, closing her eyes as she buries her face into Yang’s neck and breathes in the familiar scent of her perfume.

“What’s going on, baby?” Yang asks quietly. Her fingers run soothingly along Blake’s lower back. “What’s got you so nervous about this?”

Blake sighs again and pulls back so she can look at Yang. “It’s…” She wants to brush it off, but she knows if she says the word ‘nothing’ Yang will be having none of it. “Complicated.” She waits for Yang to say something, but when she realizes that’s not going to happen, she starts talking again. “I’m… I’m not like you. I don’t— it’s hard for me to…” She shakes her head, deciding it’s probably better to get straight to the point. “What if… what if I mess it up? What if I already…” she swallows, looking away, “what if I already messed it up?”

“How would you have already…?”

Blake looks back up at Yang, and it clicks. She can see in Yang’s eyes that it clicks, and Yang’s quick to shake her head.

“Blake, that was years ago. We’re past that.”

“I _know._ I know we are. But—”

“No. No, buts,” Yang says, then she smirks, her hands slipping down to rest on the curve of Blake’s ass and Blake sets her with a look before she even speaks. “Except for this one.”

It’s so stupid and so off topic and Blake tries to stay mad, but she _can’t_ because it’s Yang; and over the few years they’ve been together, she’s learned that Yang can _always_ make her smile. So, she does, swatting lightly at her shoulder.

“You’re terrible.”

“Got you to smile, though,” Yang says, still smirking. She sighs, her hands sliding to Blake’s hips instead as she leans forward to press their foreheads together. “I promise, Blake. You’re gonna be fine. I’ve…” Yang sighs, her cheeks flushing a pretty shade of pink as she glances away. “I’ve… talked about you _a lot_. Like, constantly. Like… probably an embarrassing amount, if I’m being honest. He knows this isn’t… that you wouldn’t just… _we_ wouldn’t just…” Yang sighs again, her fingers digging into Blake’s hips a little firmer. “He knows you’re not… going anywhere. Y’know?”

Blake smiles softly as Yang meets her eyes again and she reaches up to tuck a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “You… you really talk about me that much?”

Yang rolls her eyes. “Duh. You’re, like, the most important part of my life.” Once she says it, the blush is back full force, but she doesn’t try to take it back, doesn’t stumble over some sentence to try and make Blake forget she’s said it, doesn’t erase it with a stupid joke like she could, and honestly the silence speaks volumes.

Blake leans up to press a short kiss to her lips, before pulling back with a smile. “You’re sweet.” As nervous as she is, no matter how this weekend goes, she knows she’ll always have this. Have Yang. And really, isn’t that the only person’s opinion that matters? Blake sighs, pulling away entirely. “Okay. Let’s do this, then.”

After they drop off their bags in Yang’s old room, they come bounding back down the stairs. Well, Yang goes bounding, Blake following a little more delicately behind her and actually taking the time to grab the cookies they’d brought off the coffee table.

She raises an eyebrow at her girlfriend who’s already standing by the kitchen door.

“What?” Yang says. “I—I was clearly going to get the door for you.”

Blake chuckles as she comes up next to her and plants a soft kiss to her cheek. “Thank you, Yang.”

“Y-yeah, don’t mention it,” she says, rubbing the back of her neck. Blake stares at her and for a moment Yang does nothing but stare back. But then Blake’s face twitches into a smirk, her eyebrows raising, and Yang jolts. “Oh! Right,” she says, swinging the door to the kitchen open as Blake finally laughs.

“Do I hear laughter? Are the lovebirds finally gracing us with their presence?”

“Ugh, _dad_.” Yang’s hand at the small of her back urges Blake gently into the kitchen and Blake finally snaps into the moment.

“What? It’s good to open with a little teasing. Lightens the mood.” He turns his attention to Blake and she swallows. “You must be Blake.” Yang’s father extends a hand in her direction and Blake quickly fumbles with the tray of cookies to free up her hand. Yang takes them from her with a smile, going to place them on the counter as her father continues. “I have to say, I feel like we’ve already met, with the way Yang goes on about you.”

Yang laughs. “Nice try, old man. I already embarrassed myself with that one.”

Yang’s father laughs lightly as Blake does the same, giving his hand a – hopefully – firm shake.

“It’s nice to finally meet you… sir.” The word feels a little odd coming off of Blake’s tongue, but she’s proud of herself for not stumbling over the sentence.

“ _Sir,_ what’s this ‘sir’ business?” Yang’s father chuckles, waving a hand through the air. “You can just call me Tai.”

“I—okay.”

“Weird,” Yang says, leaning against the counter. “Y’know sometimes I forget parents, like, have names.”

Tai smirks. “Or you could just call me ‘dad,’ if Yang’s going to be like that.”

Blake’s ears twitch up straight, but she manages not to get too flustered. The same, however, cannot be said for Yang, who’s currently turning a million different shades of red and stammering incoherently.

“We—dad, you can’t—you can’t just—I mean not that—I just mean that… Blake and I are… um…” Yang glances at Blake for help, but Blake just raises an eyebrow.

“We’re what, Yang?” She asks, crossing her arms and cocking her hips to the side.

“I… uh…”

Taiyang laughs, turning back to the stove, while Blake breaks out into a smirk. “Oh, I like this one, Yang,” he says, pointing over his shoulder with his spatula. “You better finish that sentence with ‘serious.’”

Yang grumbles something under her breath, crossing her arms and looking away, embarrassed. Blake’s gaze softens as she just takes a moment to look at her, in her childhood home, free of – most – worries. Blake’s always thought Yang is adorable when she’s flustered and right now is no exception. She’s quick to close the distance, leaning up to give her girlfriend a peck on the cheek.

Yang looks down at her a little wide-eyed, but she smiles. “Yeah,” Yang says, “definitely… definitely serious.”

That pattern continues into the night, and Blake slowly comes to realize – with a small amount of humor – that Yang’s the one getting the worst of the visit. Tripping over her father’s teasing words or blushing from some embarrassing story from her childhood.

She shouldn’t be entirely surprised that Taiyang is so open, and funny, and kind – considering he’s Yang’s father. Actually, if anything, she’s learning that they are _a lot_ alike.

“Did Yang ever tell you about our trip to the shore just before she left for Beacon?” He asks, as they’re sitting in the living room after dinner.

“Dad. No.” Yang’s face is about as red at Blake’s ever seen it, as she points in her father’s direction with her coffee mug, her other arm wrapped snug around Blake’s shoulders as they sit on the couch, Zwei resting by their feet.

“Oh, come on, it’s a funny story!” Taiyang looks genuinely baffled by Yang’s unwillingness to let the story he’s telling continue.

Blake smirks and looks up at Yang from behind long eyelashes. “I certainly want to hear it.”

Yang’s mouth flattens into a straight line as she stares at her for all of a second before relenting. Albeit with a shake of her head and a “fine” mumbled into the mouth of her mug. She takes a quick sip before adding. “When you don’t love me anymore after this, know it’s your own doing.”

Blake only chuckles lightly and lets her hand fall onto Yang’s thigh in reassurance. “I don’t think that’s going to happen, Yang.”

“I dunno,” Ruby says, finally taking a break from shoveling cookies into her mouth from her spot on the floor. Blake can’t help but think it’s funny how even after all these years, some things never change. “This one _is_ pretty bad.”

Blake raises an eyebrow at Yang. “What did you do?” 

“I don’t know,” Yang says with a roll of her eyes. She smirks at her father. “Why not let him tell it and destroy his daughter’s best relationship?”

Taiyang simply grins and leans forward in his chair, looking directly at Blake. “So, it was the summer before Yang was set to go off to Beacon.”

“I’d like to preface this by saying I _was_ seventeen, and you can’t hold anything against me,” Yang cuts in. She nods in her father’s direction. “Carry on.”

“So that year, we decided to take a trip as a family out to shoreline. Y’know, beaches, games, good food, the whole thing. And _this one,”_ Taiyang points at Yang who rolls her eyes, “gets it in her head that she’s going to go to a club on her own one night.”

Yang rolls her eyes. “So I wasn’t _perfect.”_

Blake elbows Yang’s ribs and chuckles. “Stop interrupting! You’re just trying to delay the story.”

“I just want to be able to hold you a little longer, baby,” Yang says, bumping her nose against Blake’s temple. “Before you never see me the same way again.”

Blake chuckles and shakes her head as Yang’s father continues.

“So anyway, I’m wandering around the bars for the night after leaving these two up in the room, and about 2 hours later I hear a lot of cheering coming from this themed club. So, naturally I take a peek inside.”

Yang fidgets next to Blake on the couch and Blake tries to hold in her anticipated laughter.

“Now, the crowd is _really_ into whatever is going on. So, I hear shouting and people betting and when I _finally_ break to the front of the crowd, what do I see? Yang. Age 17. Drunk. On the back of a mechanical bull. Hat and all.”

“Yeah. And I was _crushing_ it.” Yang says, blushing to the tips of her ears as she sips her coffee.

Blake giggles. Though, she has to admit the mental image her brain draws up of Yang riding a mechanical bull is less amusing and more… hot. Maybe her cheeks tint a little pink too when she says, “I’m sure you were.”

Yang smirks when she looks at her. Like she knows _exactly_ what she’s thinking. And maybe she does. It wouldn’t surprise Blake at this point, but she’s still grateful when Taiyang saves her by continuing the story.

“So, I’m stuck there now. Against the gate, watching as the crowd finishes placing bets and Yang gives the signal to start the bull.”

“Y’know, dad, a lot of people would’ve been very rich had you not—”

“Don’t ruin the best part!” Taiyang cuts her off and Yang rolls her eyes. “Now, I can tell the operator is holding back on her the instant this thing starts up. It’s bucking, sure, but the change of direction was _weak._ And maybe I was a little tipsy… and a little mad that my daughter _snuck out._ So, I wander on over to the operator, slip him a few Lien and…”

Yang sighs. “And drunk Yang… is… not very coordinated.”

“Or good at holding her liquor,” Ruby snickers. Yang sticks her tongue out at her and Ruby fakes offense.

“Luckily that wasn’t until we got _back_ to the hotel room…” Taiyang says. “But yeah, right over the top of the thing’s head. Like flipping over the handlebars of a bike.”

“Hat stayed on though,” Yang says with a satisfied smirk at the memory.

“Yeah, unfortunately, so did half of the machine. Right along with her,” Taiyang chuckles.

Blake raises an eyebrow at Yang. “You… you got drunk and ripped a mechanical bull in half?”

“I was _really_ determined to stay on,” Yang says with a shrug. “Look, I said it wasn’t one of my finest moments.” She takes a sip of her drink and frowns. “I got banned. They now forever have a ‘Wanted’ poster of me on the wall of that club. And Blake…” Yang looks at her, eyes wide. “The picture is… _awful._ ”

Blake laughs and pats Yang’s leg once. “Well. I think I know where we’re going on our next trip.”

“What part of ‘banned’ did you not hear, Belladonna?”

“Well we have to go there to steal that picture of course. Save your dignity,” Blake says, smile sweet.

Yang squinted back at her. “You’re just after the reward money aren’t you, Blake? You’d really turn me in… wouldn’t you, baby?”

Blake only smirks, grabbing her tea from the table next to her and taking a sip as Yang’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Blake?” Yang feigns hurt and it’s almost a little too convincing for a second, but Blake holds her resolve.

“Hmm?” Blake hums, innocent, and she almost cracks the charade.

Yang gasps, insanely over-the-top, and puts her mug down to clutch at her chest. “You _would._ The _betrayal.”_

That gets Blake to laugh and Yang smiles back briefly before leaning forward and planting a kiss on her cheek. She feels her face flush bright red as she makes eye contact with Yang’s father as her lips brush against her cheek. He’s not… _frowning_. More just thoughtful, but the tonal shift is clear and Blake feels her stomach swoop, the uneasiness she thought might have left, returning easily.

They sit for a little while longer and Yang manages to embarrass Blake once in return for the torment that was her night, sharing how Yang had to actually bake the cookies they’d brought… despite Blake’s best efforts in the kitchen, too many cookies were lost for Yang to let her suffer in vain again. Blake pointed out she _did_ help… because _yes_ adding the chocolate chips to the mix counts.

Ruby agrees.

Yang doesn’t.

Soon enough though, everyone’s yawning, Ruby excuses herself for the night, Taiyang slips into the kitchen, and Yang asks if Blake’s ready to head to bed.

“I think I’ll stay up a little longer, maybe help clean up.”

“You sure, baby? Dad can handle it…” Yang’s thumb brushes lightly over the skin of her shoulder and Blake swallows.

“I’m—yeah, I’ll be up soon. Don’t worry.”

Yang smirks at Blake’s half-coherent response but nods, leaning forward and plating a firm kiss to her lips, sighing against her mouth as she pulls back. “Gods, I’ve been wanting to do that all night. Hurry to bed, baby,” she says with a smile, leaving one last lingering kiss on Blake’s lips before standing and making her way up the stairs.

Blake watches her go, a sway to her hips that is insanely enticing and incredibly unfair. Once Yang disappears from view, Blake takes a deep breath and grabs the empty tray that the cookies were on, as well as her and Yang’s mugs, and makes her way towards the kitchen.

When she comes through the door, Taiyang is at the sink with the water running, scrubbing off one of the final plates from dinner. She lets out a shaky breath before wandering over to his right and gently placing the tray and mugs down on the counter. He looks over at her with a smile.

“Thanks,” he says.

“Sure.”

There’s a moment of awkward silence where Blake just stands there, trying to decide her next move, then she slips over to the other side of Yang’s father and picks up a dishcloth. “I’ll dry?” She offers with a small smile, hand already extended in Taiyang’s direction.

He gives her a smile in return, placing the plate in her hand which she quickly begins to dry as he starts washing one of the mugs.

“You know, you could just go upstairs,” he says. “You don’t have to help with this. I’m sure Yang had… _plans._ ” He chuckles, shaking his head. “I love her to death, but she really isn’t subtle.”

Blake blushes but laughs. “Honestly. I tell her the same thing all the time.”

They share a chuckle; but there’s a long pause before Taiyang speaks again. “I think you’re good for her, you know?” He hands Blake the mug he finished rinsing. “I think… you’re good for each other.”

Blake almost drops the mug. She hadn’t been expecting that to be something he would say to her tonight. It’s a welcome surprise but she can’t place why exactly he’d said it.

“You’ve seemed a little tense all night,” Taiyang says, scrubbing over the mug in his hands before looking over at Blake with a knowing smile. “So, I just wanted you to know that.”

“I—th-thank you.” Blake finishes drying off the mug in her hands before putting it away and waiting for Taiyang to hand off the next mug. Her mind wanders to all the reasons he might’ve said that, and she comes up blank each time. It had been wholly unprompted, and her curiosity gets the better of her. “If you don’t mind my asking, sir—Tai. Tai. Um… why do you… what made you say _that?”_

Taiyang lets out a breath and passes Blake the mug. “It… wasn’t that hard to figure out why you’d be nervous for so long,” he says with a smirk, grabbing the tray and starting to wash it. “I mean, for a bit, yeah, but I like to imagine I’m a pretty welcoming guy.”

“Oh! You are! I’m sorry if—”

Taiyang chuckles, cutting her off. “It’s fine, I know you’re already ready to call me ‘dad’ and everything,” he says and Blake smiles and blushes again. There’s a pause before he speaks again, more serious than before. “I remember, too, you know? She was… she was _here_ after…” He clears his throat and rolls his shoulder once. “It was… hard. For her. And I don’t… I don’t like to see my girls hurt.”

Blake swallows once and places the mug in the cabinet as she starts fidgeting with the towel in her hands.

“I’ll never forget what she said to me that one night…” Taiyang says, trying to get a stubborn mark out of the tray as he speaks. “She said… ‘a piece of me is gone, and it’s never coming back.’ Any fool would assume she was talking about her arm but…” Taiyang shakes his head, clicks his tongue.

Blake watches him with interest. Yang had never shared this story of their time apart. They actually didn’t talk much about it at all beyond the necessary details, certain memories too painful to face.

“I knew that feeling too, you know?” He says. Blake wonders if she imagines the quiver in his voice. “Twice. And…” he takes a deep breath, giving up on the spot on the tray and turning to look at Blake. “When you two walked in here today, I could tell…” He shakes his head. “You might have left, sure. But… that pain… I can see you know it too. Knew it, too.”

Blake feels like she could probably cry, because it’s true. Being away from her team – from Yang – even with years between then and now, the emotional pain… it’s still so easy to remember.

“So,” Taiyang says, turning back to the tray, “you’re good for each other. Call it what you will, fate, destiny… but I think you two kids have something special. And I think you both know it.”

Maybe it’s the fact it’s late. Maybe it’s the wave of relief Blake feels crash over her. Maybe it’s just that Taiyang reminds her so much of Yang that she’s just _comfortable_. But Blake finds herself lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his waist, her face buried in his chest as she feels tears just barely prick at the corners of her eyes. She blinks them away quickly.

“Thank you,” she says.

“Not even a need, Blake,” he says with a chuckle. There’s a moment of silence and then Taiyang speaks again. “Also, this isn’t personal… my hands are just… covered in soap.”

It’s only then Blake realizes his hands are hovering awkwardly in the air, and she takes a quick step back with a laugh. Taiyang grabs the towel off the counter and wipes his hands quickly. Once they’re clean he smiles, warm, and opens his arms. Blake steps into the embrace easily, letting out a breath of relief.

When she slips into Yang’s room later, changed and ready for bed, Yang’s only half awake, worn from a day of traveling and family. Blake slides beneath the covers easily, Yang stirring in her twilight to shuffle closer and wrap Blake in her arms.

“Everything good, baby?” Yang mutters against the top of her head, voice laced with sleep.

“Yeah,” she hums. Blake buries her face into Yang’s neck, wrapping her arms around Yang’s waist too as she smiles. “Yeah. Everything’s perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave a comment or kudos or whatever! Literally, it always makes my day and it's very much appreciated :)
> 
> Have a great day/ night and may the bees buzz strong this week and always. (I'm still sleep deprived, don't mind me)


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